Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes ~ Free Printable Recipe Kit

"She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar."

~ Proverbs 31:14

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, with more and more loved one's going gluten-free, I have had to re-evaluate our pantry. While it is obvious which bulk foods contain wheat, the sinister products that sneak up on you are the seasoning mixes. Even if you aren't trying to avoid gluten, think of a future guest (I almost used taco seasoning on my mother who is gf). Also, making your own seasoning mixes is frugal and healthier (no MSG's, GMO soy additives, anti-caking agents, weird chemicals, etc.). Not to mention, you can chose more quality ingredients such as replacing table salt with sea salt, sugars with a less processed brand (or eliminate altogether) and organic ingredients if your budget allows. We are sharing the six seasonings we use most often in our home along with printable recipes, labels and directions to paste onto your jars.

Here are the basic ingredients you will need in order to make all six seasoning mixes for your pantry. I prepared an approximate pint of each but larger families may want to make a quart. Or, once you know what recipes you like, then you can double them and so forth. We also live in a humid climate so I don't go larger than pint sized jars or they will quickly cake up on me.

arrowroot powder (cornstarch and/or tapioca starch would work also)

basil (dried)

black pepper (ground)

cayenne pepper

celery seed (celery salt would work too if you reduce salt in recipe used)

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and store in an airtight container.

Directions: To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 1/3 cup oil (grapeseed or olive oil are good choices), 1/4 c. water and 4 tbsp. of the dry mix. You could also experiment with different vinegars to get different flavors.

Italian Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup dried oregano
1/2 cup dried basil
1/4 cup dried parsley

Optional Herbs to Add into the Mix:

2 tbsp. dried thyme
2 tbsp. dried rosemary
2 tbsp. dried sage

Directions: Use like you would any Italian seasoning mix. Herbs are so good for you so feel free to use liberally! :) We add this onto our pasta sauces, pizzas, roasted vegetables, etc.

{Notes: This mix should be shaken well before measuring each time to evenly distribute the herbs and spices.}

Directions: To make a ranch style dip, add one or more tbsp. of mix to one cup of sour cream until you reach desired flavor.

To make a ranch style dressing (we love to dip our pizza crust into this), mix together 1 1/2 tbsp. ranch mix with one cup of mayonnaise and either one cup of kefir, buttermilk or homemade plain yogurt (I mention homemade because it is runnier).

Seasoned Salt {Lawrey's Copycat Recipe}

2/3 c. salt {we used sea salt}

3 tbsp. sugar {we used organic}

2 ½ tsp. paprika

1 ¼ tsp. turmeric

1 ¼ tsp. onion powder

1 ¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 ¼ tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder

{Note: The good part about making your own seasoning salt is that you can replace the generic salt with a healthier alternative like sea salt or himalayan pink salt. You could also eliminate the sugar altogether though it may change the potential "Lawrey's" taste. Adapted from this recipe.}

Directions: Use like you would any seasoning salt. We especially love this on our meats, fried potatoes and baked french fries.

It also shares instructions for the mixes so that you don't need to look them up each time you prepare them. I affixed mine to the back of each appropriate jar.

It is so satisfying to add usable items like this to your pantry at a fraction of the cost and with all natural ingredients! I store the bulk seasoning in jars and refill my spice containers as needed. You can also find spice jar lids for your mason jars here if you like. Happy homemaking ladies!

For our "Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes DIY Recipe Kit Printable", visit HERE.You can either print them out on plain paper, cut to size and affix to your containers with glue (or decoupage) or print them out on sticker paper and cut to size. If you choose the first route, you may want to place a piece of packing tape or clear contact paper over each label to protect them.

57 comments:

JES I love these! I have a fabulous Moroccan Seasoning Mix of my own that I'll share sometime, but meanwhile I can't wait to try yours. The labels are gorgeous! Thankyou for a wonderfully timely and useful post. Mimi xxx

Hi there! I am also going to host a link up soon so everyone can share their SEASONING and SPICE MIX recipes so that we have a variety to choose from and enjoy (would love to have you share your Moroccan Seasoning Mix!). I think it will be fun! :)

What a great idea for a blog post and I love the Printable Recipe Kit. Very handy! Thanks for including my Chili Seasoing mix. It's from an old recipe of my moms. Off to check out the other mixes you've listed here. -- Laureen

You are just wonderful for providing not only recipes, but labels, and printable instructions all in one easy spot - and for free. It is such a blessing to work-outside-the-home mamas like me that don't have much spare time.

One note, on your ranch mix, if anyone has a spice/coffee grinder, I've found that by grinding all my ingredients to a powder, they stay mixed with no need to shake - and no big pieces of leaves floating in your dip (which I find to be icky looking, but that's just me...).

Very true! I almost put that in the post but I like my ranch to have the "green" look to it :) I did do that with the Italian dressing though. And you are right, it helps so you don't need to worry about the herb/spice distribution. Probably more child friendly too! Thank you so much for sharing!!! :)

Seriously, we are so blessed that you have done all the work on these recipes and offer them to your readers just for the taking. Thank you. Thank you so much. (I still think you need a publisher to take notice of your blog. It's probably just a matter of time until that happens then you'll be rich, and will forget us and only want to sip tea at the beach while the rest of us look back fondly to the time when you shared your home-making endeavors with us.) How's that for dreamin'? jk Have a great evening.

I agree! You need to turn this blog into a book! I was just thinking I need to take a week off everything else just so I can read through all the past posts here! There is just so much wonderful information and inspiration to absorb. And I would love to see it in a book form. Love the seasoning mixes - another great idea for my pantry. Who knew you could make an Italian Dressing mix?! Fantastic.

Great post! I love this idea of making your own seasoning. You know that there is no chemical additives and exactly what the ingredients. I like the idea of the labels and directions on them. Visiting from the Home Acre Blog Hop. The Ranch Mix is my favorite.

A lovely post JES! Making my own spice combos and mixes has been something I've done for a while. I make my own chicken bouillon seasoning and it is far better than any bouillon I've bought in the store! The labels you created to go with your spices are just darling - you are so talented to do this and share with all of us :) Have a wonderful weekend!

I love finding these recipes all in one spot! I just sent my college boy off on a summer internship with some things to start his pantry. I put spices and spice mixes in the small jelly jars. I plan to make several of these with my older daughter. Thanks so much! P.S. This would make a great wedding shower gift with special jars and the recipes.

Hi, I love your site...although I am older now and my children are grown I still love to see how things are done and how you young homemakers are living out the wonderful lives God has given each of you! thanks for making me smile today! :)

Oh my! This was such a delightful post, dear JES! I adore your pretty labels and how charming the jars of homemade seasonings look on your shelf... I would love to try your recipes out - they look wonderfully delicious and simple too:)You must have a beautiful home with all the lovely touches you've added...your posts are always a blessing and I never leave your blog uninspired! Thank you so much for all the effort you put into making a beautiful, inspirational place for others to visit!Blessings!Kelly-Anne

Hi there! I am also going to host a link up soon so everyone can share their SEASONING and SPICE MIX recipes so that we have a variety to choose from and enjoy (I am sure there are millions of taco seasoning out there and we would at least have a chance of finding some we all like). Variety is the SPICE of life! I think it will be fun! :)

Hey JES! I just wanted to let you know that I made these and they are now sitting snugly in my spice cupboard--yay! It's so nice to be able to just pull out a jar and throw a Tb or two of mix into my recipe and move on with my dinner prep. Thanks for the great instructions!

This post inspired me so much to get my herb cupboard organized that I made my own stickers very similar to yours (I didn't intend to--I just couldn't find another free round border, so I used the same one you use). Now all of my medicinal herb and culinary spice jars have a pretty label on them, and I know exactly what I have. Thanks for the inspiration! :D

I really need to make some of these, JES.... I keep my herbs and spices handy and I make all kinds of mixtures... but I tend to "re-invent the wheel" each time and really should make up the mixes and keep them around..... Thank you for such a great collection of recipes... and for the link up party. I will add this to my very long and ever-increasing to-do list! :) It would actually help save time, so I need to bump it up on the list... :)

Thanks for the great reminder and a few new recipes. My family does this too. I think it gives my food storage the additional "umph" it needs for variety. Thanks for stopping by, we're featuring your post on Front Porch Friday this week!

The download page says I must create an account in order to download. How does that work and is there a way to download or print without having an account on that page? Thank you so much for all the hard work you put in!

Hi Lori :) It should just be a matter of giving an email address as that is how I set up my account in the beginning. However, if that is changed, you can email me and I will send you the PDF file. I would love to offer printables directly on the blog but that would cost quite a bit to upgrade the blog. Maybe one day in the future... In the meantime, it is pleasewritetojes@hotmail.com if you need me to send them in the end. Sorry about the inconvenience... and happy homemaking, JES :)

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Welcome! A little introduction… I am an old-fashioned, Bible-believing, wife to my "one and only" for 20 years, homeschooling mother, who embraces her role as "keeper at home". We live on a 25-acre prairie farm.For fun… my three main earthly weaknesses (in no particular order) are coffee, dark chocolate and hardcover books. What about you? My hope is that this blog will inspire you in the arts of homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading. Visit here for 10 random facts about me... Have a beautiful day! ~ JES

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